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Flat Pack Arcade Cabinets

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Nick Woodruffe:
Having read through many of the posts in these forums and looked at quite a few of the Cabinet projects, I have come to the conclusion that there might be a market for a cabinet that can be purchased as a DIY kit.

For example all parts pre drilled and cut to size.  All screws and fixings supplied except glue and elbow grease.

Does that sound like a viable idea or would the choice in PC montiors, TV's and Arcade monitors cause a problem with the placement of a universal montior shelf or mounting points?

The other concern I have would be the weight pushing the cost of delivery too high.

Regards

Nick.W

Frobozz:
The market is there but freight would be terrible I'd think.  The biggest problem with arcade cabs is the sidewalls, which are usually large one-peice designs.  An alternative would be to go with a Gorf-style cab with 2-peice sidewalls.

Choice of monitor type causes problems as well.  TVs can easilly sit on a shelf, and horizontal-mount arcade / psudo-arcade monitors would also be fine.  But if you plan on angling the shelf back even a little, PC monitors, which generally sit on pod-like stands, like to tip over.  Universal or "front-mount" arcade and psudo-arcade monitors would also have a hard time, because of their mount type.  

Control panel mounting, speaker mounting and PC (guts) mounting may also pose certain problems.

Now, if you can find cheap shipping (remember, people all over the world may want these), I'd go for it if you've got the time on your hands.  I'd only sell blank cabinet "frames" though, without speaker mounts, coin-door hole, or control panel top, and possibly without even a monitor shelf.  Then provide detailed plans for various monitor mounts, dimensions of some industry standard coin doors, and a "how to build a control panel" primer.  

Thenasty:
Buying a pre-built cabinet or DIY kit cabinets are good except that shipping is the killer. For the shipping and handling cost, you can use $$$ and go to your local cabinet maker and probably have some money left over...Just my 0.02c.

Lilwolf:
Instead of that... you might ocnsider selling a kit.

the kit would be hard real paper plans that you lay over wood that you buy locally.  Then have cut out holes for drawing the plans themself.  so I take the 4x8 and tape down the plans on top of it.  Then mark all the points, then cut it.  Or maybe even drill through the holes themselfs with the paper there.

Then have a specific SVid monitor that fits with the model and brand (that you can buy at most major appliance places)... but it will probably work with others.  But mention it so people don't have to wander.

the hardware needed..  latches and screws and all that should be needed.  Then with the power box also.  

Also, any small boards used that are easy to ship, and a pain to cut.  Like if you have parts that aren't from the original 4x8.

Then the arcade parts (2 or 4 8ways and some buttons).  

then the ipac/hagstrom/mk

then maybe even burn everything assuming a specific video card onto a CD.  IE the emulators, frontend, config files, and no roms at all (because we don't do that)

IE, so they go out with a specific shopping list for the big things, *(wood, TV, basic computer) then they can go from there.

pyrobrit:
Hi Lilwolf,

I like that idea, provide everything except the wood and a variety of monitor mount points for a range of popular viewscreens that could be used.

What could also be done is to provide the code on CD for the automated cutting / routing machine to slice and dice a flat MDF board into the parts required.  All you would have to do would be to screw, glue and wire it all up.

Regards

Nick.W



--- Quote ---Instead of that... you might ocnsider selling a kit.

the kit would be hard real paper plans that you lay over wood that you buy locally.

the hardware needed..
--- End quote ---

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